Chance controlled game piece selecting device



CHANCE CONTROLLED GAME P'IECE'SELECTING DEVICE M. I. GLASS ET AL Filed Feb. 28, 1966 (L rwmn .1

A ril 8, 1969 I N VENTORS MAPV/A 61455 0671455 C 6/2/100 6044 96 Z/C/T/S A FTORNE YS United States Patent US. Cl. 273-138 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Game apparatus comprising a housing including an endless flexible belt having compartments formed on the outer side and being movable through a path including an opening in the top of the housing. A plurality of playing pieces are provided in sets of different colors and the pieces are initially placed in the belt compartments. The belt is rotated by movement of a gear drive mechanism which also sounds a bell at intervals to signal a player to remove a piece through the housing opening. The gear mechanism rotates a disc divided into segments of different colors corresponding to the colors of the playing pieces, one of said segments being designated by a pointer rotating with one of the gears.

This invention relates to a game apparatus, primarily designed for use by pre-school children.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a novel game apparatus which furnishes at random selection of parts of an identifiable object, such as an animal. As the parts are furnished by the apparatus, they are assembled by the child to form the object. The parts may be in the form of flat picture pieces such as make up a jigsaw puzzle, or may be three-dimensional objects, which are put together by the child to form three-dimensional figures.

A further object is to provide such a game apparatus with a sound mechanism operable intermittently on a nonuniform time interval basis. The purpose of this sound mechanism is to mark the end of a period of play.

A preferred embodiment of the game apparatus is shown in the drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the game apparatus;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view along the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view along the line 33 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of an assembled animal figure made from flat jigsaw puzzle pieces furnished at random by the game apparatus; and

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of a board or paper bearing sketches showing the proper assembly of such picture pieces to complete the identifiable objects.

The game apparatus comprises a housing supported on a base 12. The housing 10 is rectangular in horizontal cross-section with end walls 14 and side walls 16. The top of the housing 18 is partially open to permit access to the interior.

The housing is preferably made of a transparent plastic material so that the child may see the interior and the movement therein of the gears, belt and other parts hereinafter described. The observance by the child of these moving parts adds to the attractiveness and entertainment value of the game apparatus.

Within the housing, adjacent the end walls 14, are mounted gear wheels 20 and 22 on shafts 24 and 26 respectively. Shafts 24 and 26 are mounted on and extend between side walls 16. Gear 20 intermeshes with and is driven by gear 28 which is fixed on shaft 30 mounted in side walls 16 of the housing. Shaft 30 also extends outside the housing and to it is affixed crank handle 32, which may be manually rotated to drive gear 28 and gear wheel 24.

In the lower section of the interior of the housing, a generally U-shaped plate 34 is mounted on and extends between side walls 16 (see FIGURE 2). In the upper portion of the interior of the housing a flat plate 36 is mounted on and extends between the side walls 16 of the housing (see FIGURE 2). Gear wheels 20 and 22 and plates 34 and 36 are so arranged that an endless flexible belt 38 driven by gear 20 may pass around them, the plates 34 and 36 serving as guides. One edge of the endless belt 38 has notches or teeth 39 which interm'esh with the teeth on gear wheels 20 and 22. As will be seen in FIGURE 2, the belt is driven by gear wheel 20 and travels continuously around the guide plates 34 and 36 and gear 22. The intermeshing of the teeth 39 on belt 38 with the teeth of gear 22 causes gear 22 to turn for the purpose of actuating a soundmaker to be hereinafter described.

Spaced along the outer side of belt 38 are divider plates 40 which extend outwardly from the belt at approximately a degree angle and form compartments 41. The divider plates 40 extend substantially the entire distance between side walls 16 of the housing.

A cover plate 42 conforming to the contour of the endless belt 38 is positioned within the housing outwardly of the belt to form an outer wall to reach of the compartments 41.

The cover plate 42 extends to the opening in the top 18 of the housing and terminates at each end shortly above the top of the housing near each end wall 14. Thus, at the top of the housing the belt 38 and the compartments formed thereon are exposed.

The game apparatus includes parts of identifiable objects which may be assembled into the objects. Such an object, and the parts thereof, are illustrated in FIGURE 4 where a caricature of a dog is shown at 44. The animal shown in FIGURE 4 is only by way of illustration. Any number or variety of pictures of objects might be used. As stated above, the parts may be flat in the form of jig saw puzzle pieces and may be assembled to complete a jigsaw puzzle picture; or the pieces may be three-dimensional and assembled to form a three-dimensional object. Each object is preferably a different color for a reason to be discussed later.

The pieces of the object and the compartments 41 are of such size that the parts may be placed in the compartments and carried by the endless belt 38 as is illustrated in FIGURE 2.

Preferably, idler wheels, such as shown at 46 mounted on shaft 48 and meshing with gear wheel 22 (see FIG- URE 2), are added to give the appearance of a gear train. The gears may be of different colors, and their rotation, as observed through the plastic housing, will enhance the appeal of the apparatus to a child. Furthermore, in the illustrated embodiment the idler wheel 46 is arranged to provide a chance device for the game. More particularly, idler gear 46 comprises a cylindrical body portion which is journaled on shaft 48 for rotation and has a plate 47 fixed at one end. The plate surface is divided into variously colored segments and is almost entirely concealed from view by a cover disc or plate 49 which may be fixed to shaft 48 or otherwise held stationary. A segment is cut out of cover disc 49 immediately adjacent gear 22, so as to sequentially reveal the colored portions of plate 47. An arrow 51 fixed on gear 22 aligns itself with the exposed colored portion of plate 47 once during each revolution and gears 22 and 46 are arranged so that only one color appears thorugh disc 49 each time the arrow reaches that point. In the play of the game, the exposed color dictates which piece or pieces must be exchanged or taken by a player.

The sound mechanism will next be described. A hammer 50 is pivoted on pin 52 mounted in a side wall 16. Hammer head 54 is weighted so that it normally is positioned below the pivot. Pivot pin 52 is positioned below the gear 22 and the hammer handle extends upwardly so that it is contacted by stud 56 mounted on the periphery of gear wheel 22 and extending beyond the teeth thereof. Each rotation of gear wheel 22 carries stud 56 into contact with the upper end of the hammer handle and causes the hammer head to be moved clockwise around the pivot pin 52. Positioned on the side wall 16 adjacent the hammer head 54 is bell 58. The bell 58 sounds when struck by the hammer head 54.

The board or paper illustrated in FIGURE 5 contains a drawing of four identifiable objects, in this case animals, and also markings showing the correct position of each component piece. Such aboard or paper may be used to show the proper assembly of fiat component pieces corresponding to jigsaw puzzle pieces. The particular pictures shown are illustrative only; any number of different pictures in different component pieces may be used.

The game may be played by one child or by two or more children. If one child plays, the component parts of two or more identifiable objects are used. The game apparatus furnishes the components at random and the child plays to see which identifiable object is completed first. The play is accomplished by the insertion of the component parts at random in the compartments 41. The crank handle 32 is turned by the child until the bell 58 rings. The arrow 51 then points to a color on disc 47 and the child may select a piece of that color from the exposed compartments at the top of housing 10. Each piece is placed by the child on the board or paper shown in FIGURE 5 until one of the figures is completed.

When two or more children play the game, all of the pieces of the puzzle figures are distributed at random to the belt compartments 41 and to the players, until the belt is filled and each of the players has the same number of pieces. The first player turns the crank 32 until the bell rings and a color is indicated on disc 47. The player may then trade one of his pieces for a piece of the designated color, if such a piece is exposed in the open compartments at the top of the housing 10. The play continues until one of the players has successfully completed one of the puzzle figures. Variations in the play of the game may obviously be made and the described form of play is merely illustrative of the use of the game apparatus. Furthermore, although shown and described with respect to particular structure, it will be apparent that modifications might be made without departing from the principles of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. Game apparatus comprising an endless flexible belt having compartments formed on the outer side thereof and notches formed along one edge thereof, a housing for said belt enclosing a substantial portion thereof and including an opening atfording access to at least one of said compartments, a plurality of belt drive gears intermeshing with said belt notches and guide plates fixed in said housing in position for supporting and guiding said belt, said gears being adapted for driving said belt in a rotary movement relative to said housing, a sound mechanism constructed and arranged for intermittent operation in response to rotation of said gears, a disc rotatably supported on said housing in driven relation with one of said gears and including a plurality of differently colored segments, said one gear being constructed and arranged to position an indicating means thereon adjacent one of the colored segments on said disc each time said sound mechanism is operated, a plurality of differently colored playing pieces each having a color corresponding with one of said colored segments, each playing piece adapted to be received within one of said compartments and each defining a portion of an identifiable object.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,282,555 5/1942 Beatty 273142 X 2,506,184 5/1950 Twining 27313S 2,678,717 5/1954 Lucas 46-40 X 2,888,265 5/1959 Wagner 273142 3,211,458 10/1965 Wells et a1. 273-134 3,231,108 1/1966 Bonanno et al.

FOREIGN PATENTS 654,929 12/ 1928 France. 974,923 11/1964 Great Britain.

0 DELBERT B. LOWE, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 

